System for confining lift cords in coverings for architectural openings

ABSTRACT

A system for incorporation into a retractable covering that includes a flexible lift cord extending from a headrail to a bottom rail. The system includes a flexible protector of a length similar to that of an associated lift cord with the lift cord being operatively connected to the protector. The protector is in turn connected to a fabric extending between the headrail and the bottom rail at predetermined spaced locations so that any loop of protector formable is limited by the spacing between the locations at which the protector is connected to the fabric. The maximum size of a loop so formed in the protector and thus the lift cord associated therewith is insufficient to encapsulate a body part of a child or infant.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation-in-part of PCT/US2009/052802filed 5 Aug. 2009, and claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) toU.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/091,049 filed 22 Aug. 2008,and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/165,777 filed 1 Apr. 2009(“the '802, '049 and '777 applications”). This application is also acontinuation of PCT/US2010/061918 filed 22 Dec. 2010 (the '918application). The '918, '802, '049 and '777 applications areincorporated by reference into the present application in theirentirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to safety systems for coveringsfor architectural openings and more particularly to a system forconfining lift cords used in retractable coverings for architecturalopenings so that they cannot form loops in which children or infants cancatch a body part thereby causing injury.

2. Description of the Relevant Art

Retractable coverings for architectural openings such as windows, doors,archways and the like, have become commonplace and assume numerousvariations for both functional and aesthetic purposes. Such retractablecoverings typically include a headrail, in which the working componentsfor the covering are primarily confined, a bottom rail extendingparallel to the headrail, and some form of shade material which might befabric or other manipulative structure such as found in venetian blindsfor example, interconnecting the headrail and bottom rail. The shadematerial is movable with the bottom rail between extended and retractedpositions relative to the headrail. In other words, as the bottom railis lowered or raised relative to the headrail, the fabric or othermaterial is extended away from the headrail or retracted toward theheadrail so it can be accumulated either adjacent to or within theheadrail. Systems for operating such retractable coverings can assumevarious forms such as pull cords that hang from one or both ends of theheadrail. The pull cords may assume a closed loop or hang linearly. Insome instances, the covering is operated remotely with electronics and amotor mounted within the headrail avoiding the need for such pull cords.

Regardless of the mode of operating the covering to move it betweenextended and retracted positions, many coverings require lift cordsextending from the headrail to the bottom rail, which are raised eitherby gathering the lift cords adjacent to the headrail or rolling the liftcords about a roller in the headrail. The bottom rail can thereby beraised gathering the fabric or other shade material between the headrailand the bottom rail or extended to allow the bottom rail to drop awayfrom the headrail usually by gravity. Such lift cords, while usuallybeing concealed or somewhat concealed or possibly even positioned behindthe fabric, are exposed to children or infants and have created anuisance and threat to the safety of the child or infant.

Until recently, most of the effort to render coverings for architecturalopenings childproof or safe have focused on the pull cords, which asmentioned above are suspended from the headrail either linearly or in aclosed loop, as they are readily exposed to children and thereforesometimes define an attractive nuisance. Many systems have, therefore,been employed to render such pull cords as safe as possible. Thosesystems have included avoiding the use of closed loops which mighteasily be wrapped around a child or infant's body part or making tasselsthat interconnect a plurality of linear pull cords breakaway so thatloops in the pull cords are not easily formed.

The possible exposure to child and infant harm inherent in lift cordsfor such coverings has been recently recognized as a child safety issueand, accordingly, the need for neutralizing such threats has become anissue for the industry.

It is to reduce and hopefully negate the possibility of lift cordscausing harm to an infant or child that the present invention has beendeveloped.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Pursuant to the present invention, danger created from lift cords in acovering for an architectural opening is neutralized by operativelyconnecting the lift cords to a substantially non-extensible protectorwith the non-extensible protector being attached to the fabric for thecovering so that large loops of the protector cannot be formed and, withthe lift cords being confined to the protector, they likewise cannot bemade into a large enough loop to cause injury to a child or infant.

Other aspects, features and details of the present invention can be morecompletely understood by reference to the following detailed descriptionof a preferred embodiment, taken in conjunction with the drawings andfrom the appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front isometric of a retractable covering for anarchitectural opening having a headrail, a bottom rail, and a loopedfabric extending therebetween and with a plurality of lift cordsextended vertically between the headrail and the bottom rail along arear face of the fabric.

FIG. 2 is a rear isometric of the covering shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary section showing one edge of thecovering as viewed in FIG. 2 in a fully-extended position.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary isometric similar to FIG. 3 with the coveringbeing partially elevated by forming a loop in the lift cord, which couldcause danger to a child or infant.

FIG. 5 is an isometric looking at the rear of a retractable coveringsimilar to FIG. 1 incorporating a first embodiment of a protector forthe lift cords across the rear face thereof.

FIG. 6 is a further enlarged fragmentary isometric looking at the rearof a covering of the type shown in FIGS. 1-5 with a first embodiment ofthe protector of the present invention shown in operative relationshipwith a lift cord.

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary vertical section taken along line 7-7 of FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is an isometric similar to FIG. 4 with the protector of FIGS. 6and 7 incorporated therein and showing a relatively small loop in thelift cord formed off the rear of the covering.

FIG. 9 is a further enlarged fragmentary isometric showing the loopformed in FIG. 8.

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary rear isometric showing a second embodiment of aprotector in accordance with the invention.

FIG. 11 is an enlarged fragmentary isometric of a portion of theprotector used in the embodiment of FIG. 10.

FIG. 12 is a further enlarged rear isometric of the embodiment as shownin FIG. 10.

FIG. 13 is a fragmentary rear isometric showing a third embodiment of aprotector in accordance with the invention.

FIG. 14 is an isometric of a tape serving as the protector for theembodiment of FIG. 13.

FIG. 15 is a side elevation of the embodiment of FIG. 13.

FIG. 16 is fragmentary rear isometric showing a fourth embodiment of aprotector in accordance with the invention.

FIG. 17 is a fragmentary isometric of a lift cord encompassed by theprotector of FIG. 16.

FIG. 18 is an isometric similar to FIG. 16 showing a small loop havingbeen formed in the lift cord with the protector of the inventionincorporated thereon.

FIG. 19 is a fragmentary isometric similar to FIG. 18 showing thecovering being partially raised.

FIG. 20 is an enlarged section taken along line 20-20 of FIG. 19.

FIG. 21 is a rear isometric showing a fifth embodiment of a protector inaccordance with the invention mounted on the rear of a covering for anarchitectural opening.

FIG. 22 is a side elevation of the protector shown in FIG. 21.

FIG. 23 is a rear isometric showing a sixth embodiment of a protector inaccordance with the invention mounted on the rear of a covering for anarchitectural opening.

FIG. 24 is a front elevation of the protector shown in FIG. 23.

FIG. 25 is a side elevation of the protector shown in FIG. 23.

FIG. 26 is an isometric of a seventh embodiment of a protector inaccordance with the present invention showing guide rings secured to andbeing secured to a strip of mesh material.

FIG. 27 is a fragmentary rear isometric of a covering for anarchitectural opening having the protector as illustrated in FIG. 6secured to the rear surface thereof.

FIG. 28 is an isometric similar to FIG. 27 with a lift cord being strungthrough guide rings on the protector shown in FIG. 27.

FIG. 29 is an isometric similar to FIG. 28 with the strip of meshmaterial of the protector being formed into a closed tubularconfiguration to confine the guide rings and the lift cord.

FIG. 30 is a rear isometric similar to FIG. 29 with the strip of meshmaterial having been completely formed into an enlongated tube on therear face of the covering.

FIG. 31 is an enlarged section taken along line 31-31 of FIG. 29.

FIG. 32 is an enlarged section taken along line 32-32 of FIG. 29.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring first to FIGS. 1-4, an example of a retractable covering foran architectural opening in which the protector of the present inventionwould find an application is illustrated. It should be appreciated, thecovering shown in FIGS. 1-4 is used for illustrative purposes only whilethere are many retractable coverings which could find use for the systemof the present invention. This system would find use in most anyretractable covering wherein exposed lift cords are utilized forreciprocally moving a bottom rail toward and/or away from a headrail forthe covering.

FIG. 1 shows a retractable covering 22 from the front and it will therebe seen the covering includes a headrail 24 in which a significantportion of the control system for the covering is concealed, a bottomrail 26, and a flexible shade material 28 in the form of a fabricextending between the headrail and the bottom rail. The fabric has arear sheet 30, seen best in FIGS. 2-4, which extends continuously fromthe headrail to the bottom rail and includes rearwardly directedvertically spaced and horizontally extending pleats 32. A front sheet 34of the fabric is connected as with adhesive, stitching, or the like, tothe rear sheet along vertically spaced horizontal lines of connection 36with a droop or loops of the front sheet being established between eachline of connection due to the fact that the amount of material on thefront sheet between the lines of connection is greater than the spacingbetween the lines of connection. The covering, as best appreciated byreference to FIG. 1, therefore resembles a Roman shade.

A plurality of primary guide rings 40 are secured as with threads,adhesive, or the like to each pleat 32 on the rear sheet 30 to definevertical columns of the guide rings. The vertical alignment of the guiderings in each column provides a passage for vertically extending liftcords 42, which are anchored at their lower end to the bottom rail 26and at their top end in the headrail 24 to a roller (not seen) or othersystem whereby the lift cords can be retracted into the headrail toshorten their effective length thereby raising the bottom rail asdesired. Of course, unrolling the lift cords from the roller allows theeffective length thereof to be extended and consequently the bottom railto be lowered when the covering is moved from a retracted position withthe bottom rail adjacent to the headrail to an extended position asshown in FIGS. 1-3. The lift cords form part of the control system forthe covering and are raised and lowered with a pull cord 44 in aconventional manner. A conventional pull cord lock (not seen) permitsthe pull cord to be releasably positioned at any desired position toreleasably secure the covering in a partially extended or retractedposition. When the covering is retracted with the bottom rail adjacentto the headrail, the fabric 28 is gathered between the bottom rail andthe headrail with FIG. 4 showing a partial gathering thereof.

FIG. 4 is primarily included to illustrate how a loop 46 of lift cordcan be formed off the rear of such a covering with the loop being largeenough to encapsulate a body part of an infant or child. The loop can beintentionally or unintentionally formed by grabbing a lift cord 42 andpulling it laterally, which thereby causes the bottom rail 26 toelevate, as a loop of significant size is formed. It is a loop 46 ofthis size in a lift cord which can be avoided through the presentinvention as will be explained hereafter.

Referring next to FIGS. 5-9, a first embodiment of a system forpreventing an enlarged loop as shown in FIG. 4 from being intentionallyor inadvertently formed in a lift cord 42 is illustrated. The essence ofthe invention resides in providing a flexible, non-extensible protector48 associated with each lift cord with the protector being secured tothe fabric 28 at vertically spaced locations and with the spacing ofsuch locations being insufficient to form a loop in the protector ofsufficient size to cause damage to an infant or child. The protector inturn is operatively associated with a lift cord so that a loop couldalso not be formed in the lift cord of a size sufficient to cause injuryto a child or infant.

In the embodiment of FIGS. 5-9, the protector 48 is a miniturized cordladder. Cord ladders are commonly used in venetian blinds (not shown) tosupport, raise and tilt horizontal slats in the blind. The cord ladder48 has a pair of substantially vertically extending elongated flexibleside runs 50, which are interconnected by substantially horizontallyextending flexible rungs 52, at locations spaced along the length of theside runs. The runs and rungs are all formed from flexible cord-likematerial establishing an open ladder-type element that is elongated andcan extend from a connection in the headrail 24 of the covering to aconnection to the bottom rail 26 while having a lift cord 42 (FIG. 6)woven in and out of the rungs thereof while being partially exposed.

As best appreciated by reference to FIG. 6, each guide ring 40 securedto a pleat 32 in the rear sheet 30 of the fabric 28 is inserted througha space 54 in the cord ladder or protector 48 between adjacent rungs 52and the longitudinal side runs 50 with that space being slightly smallerthan the diameter of a guide ring in a neutral orientation. Theflexibility of the runs and rungs, however, allow the cord ladder to bestretched over a guide ring and into a position in which the cord ladderis not easily removed from a guide ring. The guide rings therefore holdthe cord ladder in position at each location of a guide ring andtherefore secure it to the fabric at those locations. The cord ladder isattached to the guide rings so that it extends in a non-loopedorientation between guide rings when the covering is extended whereby afixed length of cord ladder is established between each guide ring. Thatfixed length of the cord ladder is sufficient to allow the fabric forthe covering to be fully extended as shown, for example, in FIG. 5.

The cord ladder 48, as mentioned, is also positioned relative to anassociated lift cord 42 so that the lift cord is slideably woven in andout of the rungs 52 (FIG. 6) with the lift cord extending behind onerung and in front of the next adjacent rungs. In this manner, the liftcords are each positively and operatively connected to the cord ladderwith the cord ladder being similarly operatively connected to the fabric28 via the connection with the guide rings 40. It should be appreciatedthat even if a ring were to inadvertently pop out of a space 54, therungs of the ladder above and below the ring would retain the ladderadjacent to the ring by the interference of the lift cord which isrouted through the ring. As also seen in FIG. 6, the lift cords alsopass slidably through each guide ring so they are held in closelyadjacent relationship to the fabric for reliable operation of thecovering.

FIG. 7 is a side view showing the relationship of the front 34 and rear32 sheets of the fabric, the guide rings 40, the cord ladders 48 and thelift cord 42 as seen in isometric in FIG. 6.

Referring to FIG. 8, a loop 56 has been formed in a lift cord 42 as wellas the protector cord ladder 48 in which it is confined off the rearface of the fabric 28. As will be appreciated, the size of the loop 56will be limited to the spacing of the adjacent guide rings 40 and thelength of cord ladder 48 extending therebetween. As mentionedpreviously, the length of cord ladder extending between adjacent guiderings is fixed so that the loop 56 formed, as shown in FIG. 8, has amaximum predetermined size which is known to be smaller than that whichwould be necessary to endanger a child or infant by encapsulating a bodypart. The loop is shown in greater detail in the enlarged isometric ofFIG. 9. As can be appreciated, the fixed length of the cord ladderbetween adjacent guide rings only permits the relatively small loop 56to be formed which elevates the bottom rail 26 a small distance butcannot elevate the bottom rail any greater distance, such as shown inFIG. 4, due to the operative relationship between the cord ladder, theguide rings and the lift cord.

A second embodiment of a protector in accordance with the presentinvention is shown in FIGS. 10-12. In this embodiment, illustrated inconnection with the same covering as shown in FIGS. 1-4, the protector60 is in the form of an elongated flexible base cord 62 having aplurality of flexible loops of cord 64, secondary guide rings, or thelike, formed thereon with the loops of cord being equally spaced alongthe length of the base cord so as to define an open structure. The loopsare flexible and provide a similar guide function as primary guide rings40, yet are less rigid. Also, at fixed locations along the length of thebase cord, a somewhat resilient clip 66 is positioned on the main cord62 which might be fixed to the main cord in any predetermined way suchas by crimping, adhesive, molding or the like. Each clip has anelongated sleeve 68 for receiving the base cord and a C-shaped clasp 70extending laterally from the sleeve adapted to releasably grip a primaryguide ring 40. In other words, the C-shaped clasp has a circular passage72 therethrough which is slightly larger than a transverse sectionthrough a portion of a guide ring while an open neck entry 74 into thepassage has a dimension slightly smaller than the cross-section of aguide ring which permits the guide ring to be forced therethrough due tothe resiliency of the material from which the clasp is made. As will beappreciated by reference to FIG. 12, each guide ring is thereforeconnected to a clip which is positively positioned along the length ofthe protector cord 60 so that the protector cord cannot move to anysignificant degree relative to a guide ring. A fixed length of protectorcord, substantially equivalent to the spacing between adjacent guiderings on the fabric, is therefore established between each guide ringsimilarly to the fixed length of cord ladder in the embodiment of FIGS.5-9. In this embodiment, a lift cord 42 associated with a protector cordis slideably threaded through the cord loops 64 formed off the base cord62 so that the lift cord is slideably confined to the base cord butpartially exposed along its length. In this manner, the size of a loopthat could be formed in the protector cord and the lift cord operativelyassociated therewith is of a limited size and of a size that ispredetermined so that any such loop could not encapture a body part of achild or infant and therefore causes harm.

A third embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 13-15 withthe embodiment again being mounted on a covering having a headrail 24, abottom rail 26, and a fabric 28 extending therebetween. The fabric has arear sheet 30 and a looped front sheet 34. Pleats 32 are again formed inthe rear sheet having guide rings secured thereto with the guide rings40 normally assuming a non-vertical orientation as seen in FIGS. 13 and15.

In this embodiment of the invention, the protector 76 is an elongatedflexible tape or ribbon which could be of any suitable materials such asfabric, flexible plastic, a rubberized material or the like. The tape orribbon 76 as seen best in FIG. 14 is elongated and thin in dimension soas to be flexible and will readily buckle transversely when the coveringis moved from an extended to a retracted position. The tape, of course,is secured within the headrail 24 at a top end and to the bottom rail 26at a bottom end and has a plurality of equally spaced, verticallyaligned circular apertures or openings 78 therethrough which areinterspersed at periodic intervals with elongated vertical slots 80. Theelongated slots are adapted to receive a guide ring 40 when the guidering is twisted into a vertical orientation and when the guide ringresumes its neutral position, which is non vertical, the ring releasablysecures the tape to the rear side of the fabric 28. The lift cord 42 isthreaded through the tape as illustrated in FIGS. 13 and 15 so as to bepartially exposed and so that it will slide longitudinally of the tape.When the effective length of the lift cord is shortened to raise thecovering from an extended to a retracted position, the lift cord ofcourse raises the bottom rail toward the headrail causing the fabric andthe protector tape to gather therebetween. As in the prior twoembodiments, due to the fact that the protector is secured to the fabricat spaced locations identified by the guide rings, the length of theprotector between adjacent guide rings is fixed. It would, therefore, bevery difficult for a loop to be formed in the lift cord greater thanthat permitted by the fixed length of tape between adjacent guide rings.In this manner, a loop cannot be made large enough to encapsulate a bodypart of an infant or child.

A fourth embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 16-20with this embodiment again being illustrated in conjunction with acovering having a headrail 24, a bottom rail 26, and a fabric 28extending therebetween with the fabric including a rear pleated sheet ofmaterial 30 and a front looped sheet of material 34. Guide rings 40 areagain secured to the pleats in vertical alignment at a plurality oflocations aligned with lift cords 42 provided in the covering.

The protector 82 in the fourth embodiment comprises an elongatedspirally woven open sheath formed from a plurality of nylon or otherfibers or sheath cords 83 which constrict in transverse cross sectionwhen stretched longitudinally or transversely as in a well known“Chinese finger cuff.” The sheath cords 83 weave around the lift cord 42and intersect regularly. The intersecting sheath cords 83 defineinterstitial regions 85 generally forming four-sided shapes that mayinclude squares, rectangles, diamonds, or the like, and define an area.The interstitial regions have a major linear dimension “M” (see FIG. 17)that may be between opposite corners, opposite sides, or a mix thereof.The major dimension M for each interstitial region may differ from themajor dimension of other interstitial regions. Given the nature of theweave, the area and major dimension M of each interstitial regionchanges when the weave is stretched, with the change in area and length,respectively, typically being a decrease in size. The lift cord 42 has anominal diameter “D” (including a major dimension if not circular) (seeFIG. 17), and resulting cross-sectional area, that the lift cord may notfit through at least one of the interstitial area, and is thus retainedin the protector 82. For instance, the diameter D of the lift cord maybe equal to or larger than the major dimension M of the interstitialregion 85, or the cross-sectional area of the lift cord may be equal toor larger than the area of the interstitial region 85. The sheathsurrounds a lift cord 42 as shown in FIG. 17 while leaving it exposedand includes a plurality of somewhat resilient C-clips 66 of the typeshown in the embodiment of FIGS. 10-12. Each sleeve 68 of a C-clip issecured in position along the length of the lift cord and sheath withadhesive, crimping, molding, or in any other suitable manner. Thepreferred way of securing a C-clip to the sheath is by injection moldinga resilient plastic around the sheath while maintaining a hollow core inthe sheath so that the lift cord can still pass unobstructively throughthe C-clip. Each C-clip, as described previously, has a C-shaped clasp70 having a circular passage 72 therethrough adapted to receive a guidering 40 with an open neck 74 communicating with the circular passagethat is slightly smaller than the transverse cross section of a guidering so that the guide ring can be snapped into the clasp due to itsresiliency. In this manner, the lift cord with the sheath surrounding italong its entire length can be threaded through the guide rings with theC-clips being attached to an associated guide ring thereby defining afixed length of sheath between adjacent guide rings. The lift cord isaxially slidable within the sheath to move the bottom rail toward oraway from the headrail and when the bottom rail is being moved towardthe headrail, the sheath is collapsed (FIGS. 19 and 20) along eachsegment between C-clips thereby even expanding in transverse crosssection to permit easy sliding movement of the lift cord therethrough.

When a lift cord with the surrounding sheath is pulled laterally awayfrom the fabric (FIG. 18) to form a loop 84, however, the sheath willgrip the lift cord so the lift cord cannot form a larger loop than thesheath between guide rings 40. Since the length of the sheath betweenguide rings is fixed and is insufficient to form a large enough loop toencapsulate a body part of an infant or child, the lift cord likewisecannot form such a loop.

A fifth embodiment of a protector in accordance with the presentinvention is shown in FIGS. 21 and 22. This embodiment 86 of theprotector is shown in FIG. 21 incorporated into a covering of the typeshown in FIGS. 1-4 and, accordingly, like parts of the covering havebeen given like reference numerals.

The protector 86 itself is simply an elongated flexible cord of the typeused in coverings for architectural openings as pull cords, lift cordsor the like, but has been woven in a unique manner to define openpockets or gaps 88 sized to permit a guide ring 40 to be snuggly fittedtherethrough to secure the protector to the fabric 28 for the covering.Referring first to FIG. 22, the protector can be seen to be an elongatedflexible cord which is unitary at spaced locations 90 along the lengthof the protector and then is bifurcated into two parallel legs 92between adjacent unitary segments. Where the cord is bifurcated, itforms the open pocket or gap 88 through which the guide ring can beinserted by orienting the guide ring vertically and then when the guidering resumes its neutral more horizontal disposition, it locks theprotector 86 to the fabric. In other words, the protector therebybecomes secured to the fabric at spaced locations corresponding to thelocations of the guide rings on the fabric so that a fixed length of theprotector extends between guide rings as in the prior embodiments. Thelift cord 42 is then woven through the gaps in the protector so that itis exposed and slides axially relative to the protector, but as in theprior embodiments, the protector prevents loops larger than apredetermined size from being formed in the lift cord eitherintentionally or inadvertently due to the fact that the protector, towhich the lift cord is operatively associated, is of a fixed lengthbetween guide rings with that fixed length being insufficient to form aloop larger than the predetermined size.

A sixth embodiment of the protector in accordance with the presentinvention is shown in FIGS. 23 and 24. This embodiment 90 of theprotector is shown in FIG. 23 incorporated into a covering of the typeshown in FIGS. 1-4 and accordingly, like parts of the covering have beengiven like reference numerals.

The protector 90 itself is comprised of a pair of flexible main cords 92of the type that might be conventionally used as lift cords or pullcords in a covering for architectural openings with the cords beingpositioned in spaced parallel side-by-side relationship and beingintegrated or tied together at longitudinally spaced locations by loosestitching with cross cords 94 of a similar material to the main cordsbut being of approximately half the diameter of the main cords. In otherwords, the cross cords, which tie the main cords together, extendtransversely, as by sewing, from one main cord to the opposite main cordand then back in reversing directions similar to shoe lacing with bothends of the cross cords being secured to one or both of the main cords.Elongated zones of stitching 96 extending between the main cords arespaced from adjacent zones of stitching so that longitudinally-extendingspaces 98 between the main cords are defined between the stitched zones96. By way of example, the stitched zones may be approximately the samelength as the longitudinal spaces 98 between the zones defining an openstructured protector.

While the cross cords obviously are flexible so they can reversedirections, due to their short lengths between the main cords, theyresist buckling and therefore maintain a predetermined spacing betweenthe main cords. Also, where the cross cords pass through a main cord,they resist sliding movement due to friction so they stay in positionwhile holding the predetermined spacing between the main cords.

The protector 90 is attached to the covering 22 for the architecturalopening by inserting the guide rings described previously on the back ofthe covering through one of the longitudinal spaces in the protector sothat the protector is removably positioned on the rear side of thecovering. Between guide rings there is a plurality of the longitudinallyspaced spaces so that the lift cord, which is conventionally passedthrough the guide rings, is openly woven through the longitudinal spacesas best seen in FIG. 25 thereby openly confining the lift cord betweenrings to prevent large loops in the lift cord from being formed.

A seventh embodiment of the protector in accordance with the presentinvention is shown in FIGS. 26-32. The embodiment 100 of the protectoris shown in FIG. 30 incorporated onto the rear face of a covering of thetype shown in FIGS. 1-4 and, accordingly, like parts of the coveringhave been given like reference numerals.

The protector 100 is comprised of a strip of mesh material 102 that iseither inextensible or substantially inextensible and which is equal inlength to the drop or length of the shade material 30 from top tobottom. The strip is cut to a suitable width, which might be for examplebetween 1.5 inches and 2 inches wide. A plurality of guide rings 40 aresewn or otherwise secured to the mesh material 102, as shown in FIG. 26,at predetermined spacings along the length of the strip with the spacingof the guide rings being equivalent to the vertical spacing of thehorizontal lines of connection 36, which of course equates to thevertical height of a droop or loop 34 of the front sheet of material inthe covering fabric and to the spacing between pleats 32. The strip ofmesh material is then secured to the rear sheet 30, as shown in FIGS. 27and 31, by connecting the rings and the mesh material to the pleats 32.The connection of the guide rings and mesh material can be made to thepleats as in the previously described embodiments such as with stitching104 (FIG. 26) or other suitable means.

Lift cords 42 can then be threaded, as seen in FIG. 28, from theheadrail 24 or top of the fabric material 30 downwardly through theguide rings 40 so that the bottom of the lift cord can be secured to aguide ring 40 a on the bottom rail 26 of the covering so that each liftcord is confined within a set of vertically spaced guide rings andimmediately adjacent to the mesh material 102. Finally, the meshmaterial, which has opposed vertical side edges 106 is then formed intoa closed vertically extending tube 108 by moving the side edges of themesh material toward each other, as seen in FIG. 29, so that theyoverlap and are secured together by stitching 110 (FIG. 29), heatwelding, or any other suitable means.

In this manner, a vertical protector 100 in the form of a tube 108 ofmesh material 102, as seen in FIG. 30, having guide rings 40 internallythereof through which lift cords 42 are extended, completely confinesthe lift cord along the entire vertical extent of the shade fabric.

In all of the aforenoted embodiments of the protector of the presentinvention, it has been described in association with a fabric havingguide rings attached to the fabric which can be used to connect theprotector to the fabric. It should be appreciated the protector can beattached to the fabric or other covering in any suitable fashion. Forexample, if the covering had a plurality of horizontally orientedvertically spaced rigid slats or battens, clips or brackets could besecured to the slats or battens to which the protector could beconnected.

It will be appreciated from the above that a system for preventing aloop from being formed in a lift cord larger that a predetermined sizehas been described. That system includes the use of protectors that areoperatively associated with the lift cords and have fixed lengthsbetween vertically spaced attachments to the fabric of the covering sothat the size of any loop being formed in the lift cord, andconsequently the protector operatively associated therewith, is limitedby the spacing between the locations where the protector is secured tothe fabric of the covering. In this manner, large loops cannot beintentionally or unintentionally formed in the lift cord which mightpose a danger in encapsulating an infant or child's body part.

Although the present invention has been described with a certain degreeof particularity, it is understood the disclosure has been made by wayof example, and changes in detail or structure may be made withoutdeparting from the spirit of the invention as defined in the appendedclaims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system for limiting the size of a loop that canbe formed in a flexible vertically extending lift cord in a covering foran architectural opening, the system comprising: a headrail, a bottomrail, a flexible pleated shade material extending between said headrailand said bottom rail, guide rings connected to said shade material atspaced locations, a plurality of lift cords interconnecting saidheadrail and said bottom rail and extending in closely adjacentrelationships to said shade material between said headrail and saidbottom rail, and a separate, elongated, flexible, open, substantiallynon-extensible protector associated with each lift cord and to whichsaid associated lift cords are confined while passing in and out of itsassociated protector along the length of the protector so as to be atleast partially exposed along their length, said protectors beingoperatively secured to said shade material at vertically spacedlocations corresponding to said guide rings to establish a fixed lengthof said protectors extending from one location to the next adjacentlocation, said fixed length of said protectors limiting the size of aloop which can be formed in said protectors to a predetermined size,wherein said protector is disposed between at least a portion of saidguide rings and said shade material, and wherein said guide rings areconnected to said shade material through said protector to maintain saidprotector to said shade material.
 2. The system of claim 1 wherein saidprotectors are of a flexible ladder-type construction havingsubstantially parallel elongated side runs interconnected atlongitudinally-spaced locations by cross-rungs and wherein saidassociated lift cords are woven through said cross-rungs.
 3. The systemof claim 1 wherein said shade material includes vertically-spaced andhorizontals extend pleats, and wherein said guide rings are connected tosaid pleats.
 4. The system of claim 1 wherein said protectors include anelongated flexible tape having a structure for connecting the tape tosaid shade material at longitudinally-spaced locations along the lengthof said tape, said tape including a plurality of longitudinally-spacedholes along its length through which an associated lift cord can bewoven.
 5. The system of claim 4 wherein said structure includes aplurality of slots formed through said tape.
 6. The system of claim 1wherein said associated lift cords are routed through said guide rings.7. The system of claim 1 wherein said guide rings are connected to saidshade material through an opening defined by said protector.
 8. Thesystem of claim 1 wherein said guide rings are continuous.
 9. The systemof claim 1 wherein said protectors are elongated cords woven to defineopen gaps along their length through which an associated lift cord canbe woven.
 10. The system of claim 9 wherein said open gaps also providean attachment for connecting said woven cords to said shade material atspaced intervals.
 11. The system of claim 1 wherein said protectorscomprise a pair of elongated cords disposed in substantially parallelspaced relationship and being interconnected at longitudinally-spacedlocations by cross cords stitched to said elongated cords.
 12. Thesystem of claim 11 wherein said cross-cords define elongated zones ofstitching along the length of said elongated cords with longitudinalspaces defined between said elongated zones through which an associatedlift cord can be woven.
 13. The system of claim 12 wherein saidlongitudinal spaces also define an attachment for connecting saidprotectors to said shade material at spaced locations.
 14. The system ofclaim 1 wherein said protector is releasably connected to said shadematerial with said guide rings.
 15. A system for limiting the size of aloop that can be formed in a flexible vertically extending lift cord ina covering for an architectural opening, the system comprising: aheadrail, a bottom rail, a flexible pleated shade material extendingbetween said headrail and said bottom rail, a plurality of guide ringsconnected to said shade material at spaced locations, a lift cordinterconnecting said headrail to said bottom rail and extending inclosely adjacent relationship to said shade material between saidheadrail and said bottom rail, and an elongated, flexible, substantiallynon-extensible protector associated with said lift cord from saidheadrail to said bottom rail, said protector being made of a meshmaterial and being operatively secured to said shade material atvertically spaced locations corresponding to said guide rings toestablish a fixed length segment of said mesh material extending fromone said location to the next adjacent said location, said fixed lengthsegment limiting the size of a loop which can be formed in saidprotector to a predetermined size, wherein said protector is disposed atleast partially between said guide rings and said shade material, andwherein said guide rings are connected to said shade material throughsaid protector.
 16. The system of claim 15 wherein said mesh material isa strip of material having longitudinal side edges secured together toform a tube of said mesh material through which said lift cord slidablypasses.
 17. The system of claim 16 wherein said guide rings are confinedwithin said tube of mesh material.
 18. The system of claim 17 whereinsaid lift cord associated with said mesh tube extends successivelythrough said guide rings confined in said mesh tube.
 19. The system ofclaim 15, wherein said shade material includes vertically-spaced andhorizontally-extending pleats, and wherein said guide rings areconnected to said pleats.
 20. The system of claim 15, wherein said guiderings are connected to said shade material through an opening defined bysaid mesh material.
 21. The system of claim 15, wherein said guide ringsare continuous.
 22. A covering for an architectural opening comprising:a headrail; a bottom rail; a shade material operably coupled to saidheadrail and said bottom rail; a plurality of guide rings coupled tosaid shade material at vertically-spaced locations; a lift cord operablycoupled to said headrail and said bottom rail and extending adjacent tosaid shade material between said headrail and said bottom rail; and aprotector operably associated with said lift cord and coupled to saidshade material at vertically spaced locations, said lift cord at leastpartially located between said protector and said shade material;wherein said protector is positioned adjacent said guide rings, andwherein said guide rings are coupled to said shade material through saidprotector to limit the motion of said protector relative to said shadematerial.
 23. The covering of claim 22, wherein said shade materialincludes vertical-spaced and horizontal extending pleats, and whereinsaid guide rings are connected to said pleats.
 24. The covering of claim22, wherein said protector includes a first run and a second run, eachof said first run and said second run extending along said length ofsaid shade material; and a plurality of rungs interconnecting said firstrun and said second run; wherein said lift cord is weaved between saidrungs, such that said lift cord extends over a first rung of theplurality of rungs and extends behind a second rung of the plurality ofrungs.
 25. The covering of claim 22, wherein the maximum loop is definedby a length of said protector extending between a first verticallyspaced location and a second vertically spaced location.
 26. Thecovering of claim 22, wherein said lift cord is threaded through saidguide rings.
 27. The covering of claim 22, wherein said protector is incontact with an outer periphery of said guide rings.